A study shows that drinking coffee can increase longevity

Come on, take this cup of coffee. Even several others. A new study shows that it could increase the chances of a longer life, even for those who drink up to eight cups a day.

According to the study that included nearly half a million British adults, coffee drinkers have a lower risk

This apparent increase in longevity has been observed with coffee instant, ground or decaffeinated, similar result to that of an American survey. This is the first important study to indicate a benefit even in people with genetic deficiencies that affect how their body uses caffeine.

In general, coffee drinkers are between 10% and 15% less likely to die than abstainers. follow-up for a decade. Differences in the amount of coffee consumed and genetic variations were minimal.

The results do not show that your coffee maker is a source of eternal youth nor a reason for everyone to start drinking coffee, says Alice Lichtenstein Tufts University who was not part of the investigation. But he added that the results reinforce previous studies and provide additional confidence to coffee drinkers.

"It's not hard to believe that something we value so much can be good for us – or at least not bad," said Lichtenstein.

The study was published Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

It is not known how to drink coffee affects longevity. Lead author Erikka Loftfield, a researcher at the US National Cancer Institute, said that coffee contains over 1,000 chemical compounds, including antioxidants that help protect cells.

Other studies indicate that inflammation and improve the way the body uses insulin, which can reduce the risk of developing diabetes. The task of explaining a potential longevity benefit continues, Loftfield said.

For the study, the researchers invited 9 million Britons to participate; 498,134 women and men aged 40 to 69

Participants completed questionnaires on daily coffee consumption, exercise and other habits, and underwent physical examinations, including analyzes of blood. Most of them drank coffee: 154,000 people ate two or three cups a day, and 10,000 drank at least eight a day

In the following decade, 14,225 people died, mostly from women. Cancer or heart disease

. Coffee drinkers are more likely to drink alcohol and smoke, but the researchers took these factors into account and it seems that drinking coffee has thwarted them.